The present invention relates to a handbell having a clapper assembly, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a clapper assembly useful with, but not limited to, handbells having relatively small bell bodies that have limited internal dimensions.
Handbells are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,941,082, 4,062,317, 4,566,400, 4,466,329, 3,253,574, 3,139,855, 3,207,124, and 4,121,534. Handbells generally include a bell body, or bell casting, typically made of bronze, a clapper assembly mounted within the bell body for striking the bell body, and a handle such as a strap used by a player to grasp and play the handbell. Clapper assemblies provide a means for striking (ie., ringing, playing, etc.) the bell body and also prevent undesired contact of the clapper assembly with the bell body so that the desired tonal qualities produced by the handbell is unaltered by the clapper assembly. Conventional handbells utilize various restraining mechanisms to control the swinging movement of the clapper within the bell body and prevent the clapper from contacting the bell body unless a predetermined amount of strike force is applied to the clapper to strike the bell body.
Handbells are carefully manufactured and tuned so that different handbells produce different desired notes of the musical scale. For example, a set of at least eighty-five handbells may be provided such that each bell produces a different note for notes spanning the first through seventh octaves of the musical scale. The size, weight, and shape of the bell bodies of the handbells vary depending upon the desired musical note to be produced. For example, a bell body utilized to produce a C2 note in the lower seventh octave may weigh 18 pounds and be relatively large; whereas, a bell body utilized to produce a C9 note in the upper seventh octave may weigh less than a pound and be relatively small. Of course, the available space within relatively small bell bodies, for instance bell bodies of the upper sixth and seventh octaves, provides limited area for clapper assemblies and restraining means thereof.
One conventional clapper assembly that has been used commercially for well over a decade and that is particularly suited for use in small bell bodies has a yoke containing a stationary compressible rubber disc that extends transversely relative to a shaft of the clapper. The disc has a central slot through which the clapper shaft extends and pivots in forward swing and back swing directions. The frictional engagement of the rubber disc and swinging shaft restrains the stroke of the clapper, and the disc can be compressed to adjust the strike force needed to ring the bell body. The force required to strike the bell is equal in both the forward swing and back swing directions.
Although the handbells, clapper assemblies, and restraining mechanisms to control the swinging movement of clappers within bell bodies disclosed above and in referenced patents may function satisfactorily for their intended purposes, there remains a need for an improved clapper assembly particularly suited for, but not limited to, use with handbells having relatively small bell bodies. Preferably, the clapper assembly should be compact and capable of being mounted and properly operated within a small space and should carry a mechanism for limiting the stroke of the clapper when clapper contact with the bell body is undesired. The stroke-limiting mechanism should permit adjustment of the amount of force required to cause the clapper to strike the bell body within a range of forces. Preferably, the strike force in a forward swing direction should be independently adjustable relative to the strike force in a back swing direction, and the adjustments should be capable of being readily accomplished with a minimum of skill and labor and without disassembly of the handbell. In addition, the clapper assembly should be reliable, long lasting, provide silent operation, and be inexpensive to manufacture.
With the foregoing in mind, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an improved clapper assembly for bell bodies, or castings, of all sizes, weights, and shapes including those having relatively small bell bodies.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a handbell having a compact clapper assembly carrying a mechanism for limiting the stroke of the clapper when clapper contact with the bell body is undesired.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a clapper assembly having a clapper stroke-limiting mechanism that is adjustable so that an amount of force required to cause the clapper to strike the bell body can be set within a range of forces and so that adjustment for controlling clapper movement in forward swing direction can be set independently of that for controlling clapper movement in a back swing direction.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a clapper assembly that provides silent and reliable operation throughout the useful life of the handbell.
More specifically, the present invention provides a handbell including a bell body and a novel clapper assembly carried within the bell body. The clapper assembly includes a yoke secured to a closed end of the bell body and a clapper mounted for swinging movement relative to the yoke along a path defining a forward swing direction and a back swing direction. The clapper includes a head for striking the bell body and a pivot block for pivotally mounting the clapper to the yoke. The pivot block carries at least one energy absorber that is engageable with the yoke during at least part of the swinging movement of the clapper for controlling the swinging movement of the clapper in one of the forward swing or back swing directions.
In a preferred embodiment, the energy absorber has a body adjustably secured to the pivot block for movement therewith, a displaceable plunger at an end of the body, and a means for resiliently urging the plunger in an extended position such that the plunger is engageable with the yoke for controlling the swinging movement of the clapper. In addition, preferably the clapper carries a pair of energy absorbers such that one of the energy absorbers independently controls the swinging movement of the clapper in the forward swing direction and the other of the energy absorbers independently controls the swinging movement of the clapper in the back swing direction. Further, preferably the swinging movement of the clapper is within a predetermined plane, and the pair of energy absorbers are mounted on the pivot block on opposite sides of the clapper shaft and within the predetermined plane.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a clapper assembly as discussed above is provided.